Disney reports 157 million worldwide users streaming ad-supported content

Disney revealed that they have about 157 million monthly active users globally who are tuning into ad-supported content on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. This marks the first time Disney has given us a peek behind the curtain to see how many people are watching ads on their platforms. It turns out, advertising is a big moneymaker for streaming services!

The breakdown of these 157 million users includes 112 million right here in the U.S. That’s a pretty impressive number, especially considering it’s an average count over the last six months. It’s worth noting that while traditional TV has a standard way of measuring ratings, there’s no one-size-fits-all method for tracking streaming ad audiences worldwide.

During the CES tech conference in Las Vegas, Disney’s president of global advertising, Rita Ferro, shared some insights. She mentioned that Disney is unique in offering a mix of high-quality sports and entertainment content to a large ad-supported streaming audience. The company has even established a new approach to estimating the number of ad-supported users tuning in monthly, adding more transparency to the industry.

This method involves tracking active accounts across Disney’s streaming services that watch ad-supported shows for at least 10 seconds. By multiplying the number of users per account, Disney can estimate the total number of users without excluding duplicates. So, if you’re subscribed to more than one of their platforms, you might be counted more than once!

In a world where media companies are striving for profitability, ad-supported streaming tiers have become a trendy route. Disney has been increasing focus on these tiers, with Bob Iger pushing customers toward them and raising prices on ad-free options since the launch of Disney+ with ads. Hulu was an early player in this game, and Disney+ has joined the party with its own ad-supported tier.

In November, Disney shared some subscriber stats: 122.7 million Disney+ Core subscribers, with Hulu and ESPN+ boasting millions of subscribers as well. While Disney hasn’t revealed the exact breakdown of ad-supported vs. non-ad-supported subscriptions, they did mention that over half of new U.S. Disney+ subscribers are opting for the cheaper, ad-supported option.

It seems like Disney’s confidence in the streaming arena is paying off, with the company reporting positive growth in its streaming business earnings. So keep an eye out for their upcoming fiscal first-quarter earnings report on February 5th to see how they’re faring!